Searching
by CalinaAnneHart
Summary: Ray is kidnapped and is in serious danger. Fraser vows to find and rescue his good friend.
1. Chapter 1

**_due _South**

**By Holly Rixon**

**Chapter 1**

**Meetings**

His footsteps eccohed as he walked away from the apartment door and headed back down the hallway towards the elevater. He had wasted his time. The man would never talk. He jabbed his finger against the call button and leant on the wall opposite the silver doors. His head throbbed painfully and he raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. Closing his eyes for a moment he let out a long sigh. He was getting nowhere with the case. If he didn't convince Atler to testify before the jurry at the preliminary trial then Strenfield would walk free. Another criminal back out on the street. Opening his eyes, he steped forward and jabbed at the button several more times. Seconds later the doors slid open and he stepped inside. He pushed the button for the lobby and the doors closed. He grimised at the tacky music that ebbed out of a speeker in one corner. He hated these new uptown apartment blocks. The people who lived in them were all snobs. He trudged through the lobby and pushed against the revolving door with his shoulder. It turned and took him out onto the pavement. He took in a breath of fresh air that cleared his head a little. The heating had been up full wack in Kash's apartment.

He headed down the block and turned into the alley where he had parked his car. He pulled his keys from his pocket, unlocked the door and pulled it open. An aroma of coffee and smoke wafted out. He reached in and grabbed the radio.

"Franchesca, it's Ray." He spoke into the handset and waited for a responce to interupt the crackle of the frequency. When none came he called in again. "Franchesca. Franchesca come in." There was a snap over the speeker and Franchesca's voice rang out.

"I'm here, I'm here, keep your beard on."

"Frannie, we've been over this. You need to answer the radio as soon as your called." He sighed at Franchesca's lack on compatance.

"I would have done but my nail's were wet." Franchesca snapped back.

"Whatever, look, I just left Kash's. The mans doing a great impression of a clam. I'm off duty now. Tell Welsh I'll see him in the morning."

"What am I, your postalwoman?"

"Bye, Frannie." He turned off his end of the radio before Franchesca could respond. He hung up the handset and straightned back up to take off his coat.

He froze when he felt something placed against the back of his head. The click of the chamber as it was loaded told him it was a gun. Rough hands grabbed his arms and shoulders and pushed him against the side of his car. He tried to struggle but the hands pushed harder against him.

"You should have known we'd want to talk to you, Ray." The voice cut through the air like a hot knife.

"I ain't got nothing to say to you." Ray growled. Once more he tried to shake off the hands holding him down. He felt something connect with the back of his head. The blow caused bursts of colour to flash infront of his eyes.

"We'll see." A hand grabbed a fistfull of hair and pushed his head down so that the side of his face was squashed flat against the side of the car. There was a scratch against his skin. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a syringe being emptied into his neck. He started to feel drousy and his legs no longer supported his weight. Panicking, he tried to slip from the tight grip holding him. Blackness swam over his brain and he closed his eyes.

"Yes, I know. I'm looking forward to seeing him again too." Benton Fraser looked down at his wolf and smiled. "You're right. It has been a long time." A woman walkign past gave him a funny look. A fully grown man in a red suit talking to a dog. Fraser reached out a hand and pushed the button for the walk sign. "You don't think we should have called first, do you?"

The wolf whined and yawned. Fraser rolled his eyes. "Yes, we could have gone to see him yesterday, but i thought you were tired from the flight." The floresent light over head flashed for them to cross and he steped out into the road. Deifenbaker trotted at his heals. "You'll see him soo enough. The station is just around the corner."

Sure enough, they turned the next corner and there stood the building in which he had spent a great deal of his time. Excited at the prospect of seeing his friend again after so long, Benton's pace quickened. Deif, broke into a run to keept up with him. Pushing open one of the large doors, he steped into the main hallway of the station. Looking around himself he notised that nothing had changed. He headed up the stairs to his left. Chicago had also been home to an odd assortment of people. A small portion seemed be congrigating the station today. He passed a drunken man in a wedding dress whom he recognised. He reached the second floor and approached the enterance to the squad room. A young woman carrying an armfull of files backed out of the door just as Fraser had begun to push it open. The door knocked into her arms and sent her files crashing to the floor.

"Great. Thanks a heap, ya big jerk." She dropped to her knees and began to pick up her files. Benton also crouched to the floor and started to retieve the files.

"I'm so teribbly sorry." He said as she snatched the files from his hands. Retrieving the last one she stood and jugled them in her arms trying to maintain her grip on them. There was a clatter as her gun fell from it's holster. Fraser scooped down and picked it up. He placed it ontop of the files, notising her police badge clipped to the strap of her holster.

"Yeah, I'll bet ya are." She flashed him an extremly anoyed look. "Do you know how long it took me to alpertise these?"

"I assure you I didn't do it on purpose." He looked at her. Her blue eyes had dark bags under them and she looked as though she could do with a good meal.

"Just get out of my way." She pushed past him and carried on down the corridor. She narroly avoided collieding with a delivery man. "Watch it, asshole." He heard her shout.

Shaking his head he turned to Diefenbaker and shook his head. "Completly irrational." He pushed at the door and it swong open letting him into the squadroom. There was a squeal from his left.

"Fraser?" Franchesca Vecchio was infront of him in an instant. She flung her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. "Oh, my god. Fraser. How are you?"

"I'm very well, thank you, Franchesca. And you?" She released him and steped back.

"All the better for seeing you." Benton smiled wearily. The look on her face revealed the fact that she still had feelings for him even after all this time.

"Is Detective K..." Benton was interupted by another familier voice.

"Constable Fraser." Fraser turned to see Leutenent Welsh standing in the doorway to his office. "How are you?"

"I'm very well, thank you, sir." He steped forward at shook Welsh's hand.

"How long has it been? Two years?" Welsh's asked.

"Two years, four months and sixteen days." He replied.

Welsh smiled. "What brings you back to the windy city?"

"I have finished my posting in the Northwest Territory so i though I'd visit some old friends before I move to my next one." Welsh's phone rang. He turned and headed back into his office.

"I'll get the boys together before you leave. We can all catch up." He called through the door as he picked up the resiever.

"Sounds like a good plan, sir." Fraser looked around. When he saw no sign of his friend he approached his desk and sat down on the chair in front of it. Looking around the room he saw various people he remembered. None of them stopped to say hello. They were all rushing around, going about their own business. The squad room seamed frought, stressed. As Benton sat poundering what could be wrong, the blond haired detective he had bumbed into moments before stomped over. She thudded a large cardbord box onto the desk followed by the pile of files from before. She flopped down into the chair and rubbed her eyes with the heals of her hands. Her blond hair was pulled scruffly back into a ponytail but she had missed a few sections of hair which fell in curls around her face. Despite her tired, haggered look she was extremly attracive. She looked up and saw Fraser sat infront of her desk watching her with a puzzeled look on his face.

"Oh god, not you." She sighed. "What do ya want?" She pulled the lid from the cardboard box and began to search through the contents.

"I'm sorry. I must have the wrong desk. I was looking for Detective Kowalski." He moved to stand.

"Yeah, that's me. Detective Kowalski." She pointed to the nameplate on her desk.

"No, I mean Detective Stanley Raymond Kowalski." Her head snapped up and her eyes locked on his. Fraser was slightly taken aback.

"Is this some kinda joke?" She said quietly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You've got some nerve." She rose from her chair and marched off across the squad room. "Did Kash put you up to this?" Benton jumped to his feet and followed after her. He noticed that her gun had now been tucked into the back of her trousers.

"Forgive me, but I'm not completely sure what you think it is I've done." She turned and looked him up and down. He was clean cut and smart. Red certainly suited him.

"Who the hell are you?" She crossed her arms and stared at him.

"My name is Constable Benton Fraser of the Royal Canadian Mountain Police. I first came to Chicago on the trail of my father's killers and for reasons that probably need explaining at this juncture I remained attached with the Canadian Consulate as Liaison Officer with the Chicago Police Department."

The blond haired officer cocked an eyebrow. "Canadian?" She asked. Benton nodded. "That explains a lot." Fraser open his mouth to ask what it explained but changed his mind and closed it again.

"So, do you know where I can find Detective Kowalski?" She continued to stare at him for a minute.

"You really don't know, do you?" She asked finally.

"Know what?" Fraser asked in return. Before she could reply, there was a shout from across the room.

"Evelyn, the front desk called up. Your mother's down stairs." Welsh called to her. She turned briefly and waved a hand in acknowledgement. "And Kowalski, get a holster for that weapon."

"Yes, sir." She replied through a forced smile. Turning back she saw Fraser had extended his hand.

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Evelyn Kowalski." He said. Evelyn took his hand in her own and shook it. "I take it from your last name that you are Ray's wife. I didn't know he had married. Congratulations."

"If you're into that sort of thing." Evelyn gave a small laugh. Fraser gave her a puzzled look. "I'm his sister. Half sister. Different moms. But we're so close we might as well be full blood relatives."

"I had no idea Ray had a sister. He never mentioned you."

"Yeah, it had something to do with a big family rift. But then our dad died a couple of years back and that's how we found out about each other. He had left stuff to me in his will and Ray wanted to find out who I was. The rest is history." She looked at him for a moment, eyes brow furrowed. "So how do you know Ray?"

"Well, when I stayed here attached to the Consulate I became his unofficial partner. Well, I actually became Ray Vecchio's partner, but that's a whole different story. To get to the point, I worked alongside your brother for a few years before I was assigned to a case back in the Yukon. We became very good friends." He rattled off. "I haven't seen or spoken to him since I left." He saw Evelyn raise her eyebrows.

"How long ago was that?"

"Two years, four months and sixteen days."

"But you just said you were good friends. How could you not have spoken to him in over two years?" Evelyn queried.

"Well, it's quite difficult to find a stable phone line in the Yukon. Quite often I was two days sled from the nearest connection. When ever I did try to call, I kept missing him." Benton replied.

Evelyn let out a long sigh. "That explains why you didn't know."

"Know what?" He asked, his brow furrowing.

She didn't answer him straight away. She looked down at her feet. If he knew Ray as well as he said he did, he might be able to help. She looked back up and fixed her eyes on his face. He looked like someone who cared, who could help. Someone she could trust. She took in a great breath and then let it out in a sigh.

"Ray's missing." She looked into his eyes, trying to gage his reaction. "He disappeared four days ago."


	2. Chapter 2

_**due** _**South**

**By Holly Rixon**

**Chapter 2**

Benton hot footed out the door of the squad room after Evelyn.

"Missing?" He asked catching up with her as she headed down the stairs. "What do you mean missing?" They reached the bottom of the stairs and Evelyn lead the way back to the front desk.

"I mean missing; vanished, disappeared, don't know where he is." She walked up to the officer at the desk. "Ya got a Mrs. Dobson here?" She asked him.

"Waiting room." He grunted not looking up from his computer screen. She turned to find Fraser standing in front of her, a horrified and worried look on his face. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment.

"Look, I'm sorry, I can't do this right now, okay." She looked back up at him and he noticed the sadness in he eyes. She gestured towards the waiting room door. "I got stuff I gotta sort out." She saw him retract slightly. He dropped his head and nodded.

"Of course." He said. "I understand. You must have a lot on your mind." He turned to leave.

"Frase." He froze. 'Frase' had been a version of his name that Ray had used. He had said it was more personal that Benton. He turned back to face her. "Look, erm, go...go wait by my desk. I'll fill ya in on what's goin' on." She gave him a small smile which he returned. Evelyn turned and pushed open the door to the waiting room. He watched as Evelyn approached an older woman and hugged her. A small child was sat on the chair next to he woman Benton assumed was Evelyn's mother. Evelyn bent down and gently poked the little girls' nose. The child giggled and dropped her book, held out her arms and Evelyn scooped her into a hug. He turned, allowing them their privacy, and walked back up the stairs.

"Fraser? Are you okay?" Benton looked up to see Francesca standing in front of him. "Did you hear about Ray?" He sat up and cleared his throat.

"Yes, I did." He ran the back of his thumb over his left eyebrow. "I don't know the full story yet. I'm waiting for Detective Kowal..." He stopped himself midflow. "The other Detective Kowalski."

"Evelyn." Fraser nodded. "Listen, Fraser, if you wanna talk, I'm here." He looked up at her. There was a look of genuine concern on her face.

"Thank you, kindly, Francesca." Benton flashed her a big smile. She grinned in return and walked back to her desk. Benton looked back down at his hands, his fingers twirling his Stetson. His mind was reeling. Ray, missing? Four days.

Ten minutes later, Evelyn reappeared. She had her left hand wrapped around her neck and her right in the pocket of her jeans. She stood and looked Benton for a moment before taking her seat at her desk. Fraser watched her, waiting. She ran a hand over her untidy hair before looking up at him. She let out a long sigh.

"It all starts with this guy called Strenfield. Oscar Strenfield. He's big in the criminal world. His favorite past time is dealin' weapons. Smuggling them in and out of the country for large amounts of cash. Then he turned pro. Started supplying big gun's to the big gangs. Now he's got a huge following, he's got more people in his pocket than a corrupt state senator. In the last couple of months there's been some particularly gruesome murders. The victims have been found with several limbs missing. This guy's sick and twisted does the dirty work himself. He's got his family in it now. Screwed up his younger brother. He's got a way of...persuading people. Either to buy his guns or to join his side. But he's slick. No one's ever been able to pin something on him. Everything points to him, but there's no concrete evidence. Then a couple of weeks ago two of his men came to the station and said they wanted out from Strenfield. Ray interviewed them and with their information he had enough to put Strenfield behind bars. Next day their both dead. A young guy came forward and said he'd seen Strenfield kill them personally. He was willing testify so Ray took a statement and they put him in witness protection. Ray was the only one who knew where he was. Strenfield found out and Ray went missing." She let out a sigh and sat back in her chair.

Fraser's brow furrowed for a moment. "How do you know that Ray is actually missing? Could he have gone away? He was always rather unpredictable."

"No." Evelyn shook her head. "No, he's defiantly missing."

"But how do you know?" Fraser pressed further.

"Because he didn't turn up to collect Annie." Benton frowned. "His daughter." Evelyn continued. There was a moments silence as Fraser stared at her.

"Daughter? Ray has a daughter?" He asked finally. "Who...I mean...where..."

"That was her downstairs. My mom's been helpin' me look after her." She saw a look of realisation dawn on Fraser's face.

"Oh. I er, I thought she was yours." He admitted. Evelyn gave a small laugh.

"No, I'm not married." Fraser nodded.

"I can't believe Ray has a daughter. How old is she?"

"She turned two in April."

"April?" He asked. "If she was born in April..." He trailed off as he did the maths in his head. "Then she was conceived before I left. Who is the mother?"

"Ray's ex-wife, Stella."

"Of course. Then they got back together?" Evelyn didn't answer straight away. She looked down at her hands resting on the desk.

"No, not that I know of." She replied to her hands.

"Why is she not looking after Annie? I would have thought it more logical for Stella to care for her." His thought was met with silence. Evelyn's eye remained fixed on her hands.

"Not that you're not doing a good job...well, I haven't seen you with her...apart from downstairs...what I mean to say is...I'm sure you're great with her." He babbled. Evelyn looked up at him. His face was apologetic to the point that it could almost have been funny.

"Stella died in a car wreck seven months after Annie was born. That's how Ray found out he had a child."

"Stella didn't tell him she was pregnant?" Evelyn shook her head.

"Suddenly had he a baby to look after. It turned his world upside down, but he's a great father." Fraser let out a sigh and ran his hand over his hair. "It's a lot to take in, I know." Fraser sat quietly for a moment. Stella dead, Ray a father, Ray missing. "You okay?" Evelyn asked him.

"Yes." He nodded. "So how did you get on the case? As I understand it officers are not allowed to work on cases they have a link with."

"They're not. I got a transfer from New York. I specialize in missing persons cases." She paused. "I'm the best. I can solve a case in two weeks max. They let me in on the investigation."

"So are there any leads? What evidence do you have?" Benton asked.

"That's the thing. There is none. I _know_ who's got him, I just can't prove it." Evelyn admitted.

"Strenfield?"

"Yeah. There's no trace of Ray at all. He's just vanished."

"Where was he last seen? Do you know his movements on that day?"

"He went to see a guy called Ryan Kash about four o'clock. He's a local police snitch. But from what I've read in Ray's notes I get the impression the police aren't the only people Kash has been snitching to." Evelyn stated. "Now, we know that Ray left Kash's apartment, he radioed the station from his car, and Francesca received the transmition. According to Frannie that was about five-fifteen. He was supposed to pick Annie from nursery at half past five, but he never showed. The nursery called station about six asking where Ray was. I got a call about nine to say that Ray had disappeared and social services had been called to look after Annie for the night. I got a flight the next day and transferred here." She finished.

"How's Annie reacted to all of this?" Asked Fraser.

"I told her Ray had gone on holiday. I didn't know what else to say. I mean how do ya tell a two year old her dad is missing and is most likely dead?" She asked him. "Anyway," she continued. "Um, we've been going over CCTV footage from shops around the area. Haven't found anything so far."

"Do you have any idea where he was last?" Benton asked her. "Maybe starting from there would give us an indication of where to look."

"His car was found in an alley next to Kash's apartment block. The driver's door was open so it looks like he was taken from the alley as he was getting into his car."

"Right after he spoke to Francesca." Fraser finished.

"Yep." They sat for a moment in silence as Fraser processed all of this information. Finally Evelyn stood. "I'm gonna get a coffee, ya want one?" She asked him.

"Coffee sounds good." Fraser said looking look at her. He stood and followed her down the corridor to the canteen. She pulled a hand full of coins from the pocket of her jeans and selected the right amount of money. She took the first cup from the machine and passed it to Fraser.

"So tell me about yourself." She said as she waited for the second cup to fill.

"About me?" He asked, staring at her, eyes wide.

"Yeah." She smiled. "I don't know anything about you, apart from the fact you worked with Ray for a couple of years."

"Oh, well, I first came to Chicago on the trail of my father's killers..."

"Yeah, I know that much." She interrupted. "You stayed here with the Canadian Consulate as Liaison Officer with the Chicago Police Department."

"That's correct. I arrested a fellow officer and after that I wasn't all that well liked back home." He admitted.

"You arrested one of your own?" She asked in amazement as she turned from the coffee machine and sat at one of the canteen tables.

"He was responsible for my father's murder." Fraser replied as he sat opposite her.

"A mountie? God, I thought all mounites were perfect!" She exclaimed.

"That's a common misconception." Fraser replied, shaking his head. "I know I'm certainly not perfect." Evelyn smiled.

"So is that why you didn't go back home after. You were kind of an outcast."

"Yes. So I transferred here and began working at the Canadian Consulate as Liaison Officer. I became the unofficial partner of a detective called Ray Vecchio."

"What do you mean unofficial partner?" Asked Evelyn.

"Well, I wasn't under the employ of the Chicago Police Department, so technically I didn't work here." Evelyn let out a small snigger. "But Ray and I always seemed to stumble on new cases together." Fraser explained.

"So you kinda became a cling on?" She asked. Fraser laughed.

"Indeed. Ray Vecchio and I worked together for over two years. We became very good friends. Although saying that, he did shoot me in the back once." Fraser added as an afterthought.

"He shot you in the back?" Evelyn asked in disbelief.

"Oh, it was completely unintentional. He was aiming for someone else."

"Who?"

"A woman." He said after a brief pause. Victoria Metcalf's revenge still played on his mind some nights. "She was attempting to escape." His eyes had dropped to the table where his hands sat holding tight onto his coffee cup.

"Judging by the look on your face it's not something you wanna talk about." Evelyn stated. Fraser looked up at her slowly.

"No." He said, shaking his head slightly.

"So after he shot you, we're you still good friends?" She asked, steering clear of the previous subject.

"Oh, yes."

"So, did he leave or did you shoot him back?" Evelyn joked. Benton laughed with her.

"No, he went undercover with the mob. He bore a great resemblance to an Amando Langoustini. That's where you brother came in. To protect Ray Vecchio's cover there needed to still be a Ray Vecchio, and your brother was brought into the be undercover as Ray Vecchio whilst the real Ray Vecchio was undercover."

"Wasn't that a bit confusing? I mean you worked with the original Ray for a couple of years then you suddenly had to act like my brother was Vecchio."

"Well it did help that your brother preferred to be called by his middle name rather than his first." Fraser admitted.

"What was he like to work with?" Asked Evelyn. Fraser thought for a moment. Working with Ray Kowalski had been completely different to working with Ray Vecchio.

"Unpredictable." He voiced. "Moody, aggressive, extremely committed, but through all that he's a good officer. He took a bullet for me on our first day of working together, granted he was wearing a bullet proof vest, but he still jumped in between."

Evelyn smiled and looked to the ceiling. Hearing these stories about her brother was comforting. It helped her to believe that he was strong enough to survive.

"So what made you leave?" Evelyn asked. "Why'd ya go back north?"

"I was homesick. One of our last cases took us to the Yukon. I wanted to go home." He admitted. "Plus I was offered a promotion. It was a great opportunity, so I took it. Originally the posting was only for a year, but being back home, it made me want to stay."

"You like being cold?"

"I like snow, if that's what you mean."

"Me, I live for the sun." Evelyn laughed. "I can't stand being cold." Fraser shifted in his seat.

"Well, with the right equipment and knowledge of basic survival skills, you could keep perfectly warm, even in the coldest of weather." Benton explained.

"Are you always like that?" She asked him.

"Like what?"

"So particular." She said. Fraser still looked blank.

"I'm not sure what you mean." He said. Before she could answer there was a call of her name from the corridor.

"Evelyn?" Detective Hewie appeared around the corner. "Evelyn, you might wanna..." He paused as he spotted Fraser sat opposite her. "Hey, Fraser, how's it hanging?" He stepped forward and shook Benton's hand as he stood up.

"How's what hanging?" He asked blankly. Evelyn raised a hand to her mouth to cover a snigger.

"Never mind." Hewie said. He turned to Evelyn. "Me and Dewie found something on the CCTV tapes that you might wanna see." He said as he backed his way out into the corridor.

"Thanks, Jack, I'll be there in a minute." Evelyn said. Hewie turned and disappeared down the corridor. Evelyn drained the remains of the coffee from her cup and tossed into the nearby trash can. She turned to Fraser. "Let's go see what they got."


	3. Chapter 3

_**due**_**South**

**By Holly Rixon**

**Chapter 3**

"What ya got Jack?" Evelyn asked as she rounded the corner into the squad room. Detective's Hewie and Dewie sat to the left of Welsh's office infront of a television set. Next to it were several piles of video tapes. The screen had been paused on a particular shot.

"This is from the off licence opposite the alley." Answered Dewie. "It's got a clear view down the alley." He picked up the remote from it's resting place on top of the screen and pointed it at the set. He pushed the play button and the video wirred into motion. Evelyn bent forward and leant on the back of Hewie's chair her eyes fixed on the screen. A black GTO drove into sight and pulled into the alley.

"Ray arrives in the alley at 4:03pm." Hewie said, pointing at the clock on the bottom of the screen. "He leaves his car and is in the building by 4:07pm." Evelyn watched the video of Ray entering the building.

"Who's that?" She asked pointing to a sliver car that apeared at the bottom of the frame. It pulled up to the sidewalk just short of the enterance to the alley.

"This is our kidnapper." Tom jumped in. "Well, kidnappers. We got at least four unidentified men in the car, possibly one more. We can't get a clear veiw of any of their faces though." The rear car doors opened and two men stepped out. One approached a news stand and picked up a magazine. The other crossed the road and passed under the camrea.

"Where did he go?" She asked.

"Into the off licence. I'll send an officer down there to see if there's any footage inside." Replied Dewie.

"No." Said Evelyn. "I'll go myself, I could do with some fresh air. So, do these guys just wait untill Ray comes out?"

"Yeah. This one," Hewie pointed at the man reading the magazine, "He stay's outside the whole time. If you look closely at his left hand you can see a radio." Sure enough, as they watched, the man lifted the radio to his mouth and spoke into it.

"Nothing happens untill eleven minutes past five when Ray exits the building." Dewie forwarded the video to where Ray walked back through the doors to the apartment block and back onto the street.

They watched as he stood still for a moment before turning and heading back to his car. The man who entered the off licence reappeared from under the camera and approached the man stood reading his magazine. The latter raised the radio again and spoke into it. They waitied untill Ray entered the alley and then they crossed the road and headed back to the car. Two more men emerged from it and joined them. Evelyn crouched down and lent closer to the screen.

"That's Strenfield." Evelyn pointed to one of the men. He was shorter and rounder than the others.

"What? How do you know?" Hewie asked. "You can only see his back."

"I know the guy and I'm telling you this is him." She jabbed her finger against the screen a few times to reenforce her point.

They continued to watch the screen as the man with the radio got back into the car. The three remaining men walked stealthily down the alley. Evelyn felt her blood boil as she watched the two large men grab Ray and shove him against the car. Fraser looked down at her, taking in the look of rage on her face. He turned back the screen and felt his own rage build as he watched one of the men strike him with the gun that had been pointed to his head moments before.

"What's that?" Evelyn asked, pointing to the other mans hand. Fraser leant in closer and squinted his eyes.

"A syringe." He stated. "No doubt filled with some sort of seditive." He added as they watch the man insert it into Ray's neck. They all went silent as Ray slumped to the floor. The silver car pulled forward and turned down the alley. The driver got out and opened the lid of the trunk then turned and kept watch while the other two men picked up Ray's lifeless form and tossed it in and slammed down the lid. They pilied back into the car as it reversed back down the alley and out onto the road, screaching off out of range of the camera.

No one said a word, but all their eyes were fixed on Evelyn who was still watching the screen. She stood and straightned the staps of her holster.

"Send the tape down to technics." She said turning to Dewie. "I want that plate number and any ID matches. Ring me on my cell when you get anything."

"You got it." Dewie ejected the tape and hurried off down the corridor. Evelyn turned to Hewie.

"Run Strenfield's name through the computer again, see if it comes up with any known associates in this area. Don't leave anything out." She added before rounding on Benton. His eyebrows were raised asif waiting for instruction. "I'm gonna go down to the off licence, you wann come with?" She asked.

"Anything I can do to help." He spun his Stetson in his fingers and placed it on his head.

"God, you really are a Canadian." She laughed grabing her jacket from her desk before heading out the door of the squadroom, Benton and Deifenbaker following behind,

They passed Frannie as they headed down the stairs. Evelyn noted the look in Francesca's eyes when she spotted Fraser.

"Frannie. Frannie. Frannie. Frannie." She raised her voice a little each time she called her name. "If Welsh asks, I'm following up a lead." She said when Francesca finaly pealed her eyes away from Benton. It wasn't untill she reached the bottom of the stairs untill she realised that he was not with her. She turned to find that Frannie was blocking his way down the stairs.

She crosses her arms and yelled up at him. "Canada. You comming?"

Fraser cleared his throat and slid past Francesca uttering a very quiet 'Excuse me'. He reached the end of the stair case and straightened his tunic whilst letting out a puff of air. Evelyn couldn't help but grin.

"What?" He asked her.

"You're, erm, looking a little flushed."

"Oh." Was all he could say in responce.

"Looks like you two have got a little bit of a history." She stated as she walked out the back of the station into the parking lot.

"A history?" He inquired.

"Oh, please, you know what I'm talking about." She said as she approached a car that Benton recognised to be Ray's. She opened the drivers door and Deifenbaker hopped in and clambered onto the backseat. Opening the passengers door Benton looked at her blankly. "Did you two..." She stopped short of what she wanted to say but raised her eyebrows questionly and cocked her head to one side.

It finally dawned on him what she ment. The memory of Francesca Vecchio turning up at his apartment dressed in very little and offering herself to him rushed back to him. His face flushed brighter than before which made Evelyn's grin bigger.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, well, almost, but no, no." He said, feeling extremly uncomfortable.

"I'll take your word for it." She said as she got into the car, sparing him any further embarresment. He climbed in next to her and closed the door, still a hint of colour in his cheeks.

Evelyn stopped infront of the off licence and looked up and down the street. She turned to look down the alley from which Ray had disapeared. It stood dark and empty. Fraser stepped next to her and followed the direction of her eyes. She whipped round and looked up and the CCTV camera that watched over the street. Taking a deep breath she stepped forward and pushed open the door to the off licence. It was a small, clutered shop. The shelves and racks filled with a wide variety ofwines, beers and sprits. Evelyn weaved her way over to the counter. Behind it sat a large man whose eyes were fixed on a small teleision a large bag of chips on his lap. Unaware of Evelyn and Benton's presence, he continued to watch the screen.

"Hello?" Evelyn called out. "Hello?" She repeated a little more loudly to no avail. "Hello?" She said one last time, her voice raised. The man finally turned his head towards them, a look of utter anoyance on his face.

"Hi." Evelyn put on a friendly smile and a sweet voice. "How ya doin'? Chicago PD." She moved her jacket to one side to reveal her badge clipped onto the strap of her holster. "I was wondering if I could take a few minutes out of your _busy_ shedual to ask you a couple of questions." She said with a sarcastic tone to her voice. He eyed Evelyn's badge for a moment before looking back at her. He lent forward and flicked off his television and stood up to face Evelyn.

"Four days ago a man was abducted from the alley oposite your store." She stated pointing out of the window. "One of the men involved came in here moments before the incident happened." The man stood looking blankly at her. "Ring any bells?" She asked him.

"Nope." Replied the man.

"Okay." Evelyn sighed. "Do you have any security cameras inside the store?" He raised his right arm lazily and pointed just over Fraser's head. They looked up and saw two cameras, one pointed towards the door and one towards the counter. "Do you have any recordings?"

The man turned and bent down to pick up a large cardbord box. He dumped it on the counter infront of Evelyn and Fraser. Evelyn peered in and saw a large collection of tapes that apeared to have just been droped in. "You gotta be kidding me?" Evelyn asked him, her eye brows raised. "Don't you organise these?"

"Do you want the tapes or not?" He asked her.

"You want me to take you down to the station?" She asked him back.

"May I?" Fraser asked her, interviening. She waved her hand at him as a signal to continue. Benton stepped up to the counter.

"Hello, my name is Constable Benton Fraser, Royal Canadian Mountain Police. I first came to Chicago on the trail of..."

"Frase, he dosn't need to know that." Evelyn cut across him. He turned towards her and nodded.

"Understood." He said turning back to the man behind the counter. "Sir, could you possibly find the relevant tapes for Thursday May 7th?" The man raised an eyebrow at Fraser. "It would help us tremondusly. You see the man who was abducted was a close friend of mine and I would be most grateful of your help."

The man sighed and reached into the box. He dug around for a few moments before pulling out three tapes. He held them out to Fraser.

"Thursday May 7th." He said.

"Thank you, kindly." Benton said as he took the tapes. He turned towards Evelyn and held up the tapes a smile on his face. She shook her head, and muttered 'Canadian' under her breath. She turned and walked out of the store. Fraser smiled at the man one last time before following her out the door. He found her a little way down the road, leaning on the side of Ray's car watching him walk towards her, the tapes tucked under his arm. He stopped infront of her and she stared at him for a few moments.

"How do you people do that?" She asked him finally.

"Do what?"

"Get people to do what you want?"

"It only takes an extra second to be courteous." Benton stated. Evelyn shook her head in amazement.

"Get in the car." She ordered.

"Understood." He said, opening the door and climbing in. Evelyn crossed infront of the car, looking at the alley one last time. "Evelyn?" Fraser called. She snapped out of her trance and slid into the car beside him. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied, but Benton was unconvinced by her tone. He kept watching her as she turned on the engine and pulled away from the sidewalk.

"I don't mean to pester, but you..."

"I said I'm fine." She interupted. "Change of subject." Silence fell over them for a few minutes whilst they traveled back to the station.

"There's still a few things I don't understand." Benton said finally.

"Like what?" Evelyn asked him.

"Well, you name for instance. Your last name, Kowalski, that would be your biological father's name, yet you said you sonly found out about him a few years back after his death."

"Yeah, it is a bit confusing. My mom was married to this guy called Steve. Then a couple of years later she met Ray's dad. I think Ray was only a couple of years old at the time. Anyway, they had a brief affair, it only lasted a couple of weeks, but nine months later, I was born. I think they both knew he was my dad, but for the sake of both of their marriges they never did anything about it. She never told Steve he wasn't my real father, but I think he always suspected, I mean I didn't look anything like him. He erm..." She paused for a moment, staring into the distance. "...he never really gave me the time of time of day, alway ragging on at me about something, the smallest of things. I hated him. So, when I found out who my real father was, I took his name. Kind of made feel I wasn't connected to Steve anymore. Besides, 'Kowalski' sounds a hell of alot better 'Skelding'."

Benton stayed quied, not knowing what to say.

"The guy's a jerk. My mom's still married to him, but I keep well away."

"I never really got to know my father either." Benton told her. "My mother was killed when I six years old, my grandparents raised me. My father was often out patroling the territory. Sometimes I wouldn't see him for months on end. It's only in the last couple of years that I've got to know him better." The words had left his mouth before he could stop them.

"I thought your father was dead." Evelyn stated.

"Yes." He replied, thinking quickly. "I mean, figeritively. I've been reading his journels."

"Well, it looks like your grandparents did a good job." Evelyn said, flashng him a smile which he returned.


	4. Chapter 4

_**due**_**South**

**By Holly Rixon**

**Chapter 4**

"Does this dog not listen or something?" Evelyn asked Benton. Deifenbaker continued licking her right ear.

"No, and he's not a dog he's a wolf. Well, half wolf." Fraser replied. "He's deaf. But he does read lips."

"Cut it out." She said, her head turned to Deif, who continued his pursute of her ear.

"You need to anunceate." Explained Benton.

"GET OFF ME OR I WILL STUFF YOU!" Instenly Deifenbaker backed off whining. Benton looked at her, a look of shock on his face.

"Oh, like I mean it." Evelyn admitted. "So how come you can get away with letting a wolf run loose around the city?"

"Well, he's not excatly loose, but I do have a wolf lisence. The original Ray got it for me."

"Impressive." Evelyn commented. "Seeing as they don't exsist." She added raising an eyebrow at him.

"Well, no, but..."

"Relax, I'm not gonna turn you in." She laughed as she turned the car back into the parking lot. Gathering the tapes in his arms, Benton climbed out of the car and Evelyn followed. She held the door open as Deifenbaker jumped over the front seats and out of the door. He trotted behind them as Evelyn and Benton led the way back through the rear entrance to the station and up the stairs to the squad room.

"Dewey?"

"Here." Dewey called from his desk, waving an arm in the air.

"We got some footage from the licker store. Can you find someone to look through it?" Evelyn took the tapes from Benton and handed them to Dewey.

"I'll do it myself." He said as he took the tapes from her.

"Thanks Tom." Evelyn said as he spun his chair round to the video player. She turned and headed towards her own desk removing her jacket as she went. She flopped into her chair and pulled her computer keybord towards her. Benton sat opposite her, leant forward and rested his right arm on her desk.

"If there's anything I can do to assist the investigation, please don't hesitate to assign me a task." He offered.

"Assign you a task?" Evelyn asked.

"Yes. Anything I can do to help find Ray." He replied.

Evelyn smiled. "Thanks." She looked down at her hands for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she changed the subject. "So where're ya staying?"

"Hm." Fraser sat back and thought for a moment. "At this present moment, nowhere. Well, last night Diefenbaker and I camped in the park." He replied.

"What do you mean?" Evelyn asked him.

"Well, I had intended this to be a brief visit." He said. "But, now I shall stay as long as it takes." He smiled comfortingly at her.

"I know some good hotels in the area." Evelyn told him. "If not, I've got a very comfy spare room."

"That's a very kind offer." He said, blushing slightly. "I shall let you know."

"Okay, well, it's there if ya want it." Evelyn said. "Anyway, I got some paperwork to do, so..."

"Of course." Benton said as he stood. "I shan't distract you any more." He turned and called for Dief to follow him. The wolf stayed sat on his hind legs, leaning slightly to his left, his head cocked to one side looking intently at Evelyn. "Diefenbaker, come." He ordered again. Dief simply cast him a look that said a determined 'no'. Benton pulled him self together and cleared his throat. "Diefenbaker, stay." He ordered and turned to leave. Instently, Diefenbaker rolled onto his back, presenting his belly to be rubbed. Evelyn laughed and stretched out a hand to give it a good scratch.

"Do you wanna get something to eat later or something? I clock off at four." She called to him as he reached the the door to the squad room.

"That sounds lovely. Shall I meet you here?" Fraser asked her.

"Yeah, I'll be done by then." She said. "I'll see ya later." She turned her attention back to the computer screen and continued tapping away at the keybord.

Fraser stood in the Chicago air for a moment, the station behind him. Even with his love of the wild, empty planes of the northwest territory, he had missed the city. There was something to be said for the noise and the hustle and bustle of busy city life. It had been his home for over four years. The constant hub of the city had alomost become a comfort to him. The move back north had been dificult at first. Going from twenty-four hour noise to silence had been odd. Yet no matter how much he had liked the city, nothing compared with the snowy ice fields of his real home.

He looked around taking in the view of the city. He looked to his left and came to a desision on where to go. He stepped to the edge of the curb and flagged a cap. It pulled over from the line of traffic and stoped in front of him.

"Thank you, kindly." Benton said peering through the window. He opened the door and slid onto the back seat. "Would you be so kind as to take me to the Canadian Consulate on Wilmont Avenue?" He called through the hatch.

The cab driver turned and gave him a bored look. "Whatever." He sighed, turnng back to his wheel. He pulled back into the line of traffic as it crawled forward in the morning jam. Fraser sat in silance for a few moments watching out the window taking in the changes since he was last there. He noted several construction sites as well as a few demolition ones too.

"The city has certinly changed since my last visit." Fraser stated through the hatch. The cab driver grunted in reply, his arm propped up on the window, his hand supporting his head. "There certinly is alot of traffic this morning. Is there a parade of somesort on today?" He asked. The driver simply shrugged. Resigned to the fact that he was not going to get much more of a responce, Fraser sat back in his seat and returned his gaze out of the window. The cab finally pulled into Wilmont Avenue and Fraser slid out and closed the door.

Before him stood the Canadian Consulate. A grand looking building consisting of three floors. The grounds were in the same beautifully kept condition they had been when he left. He removed his Stetson as he turned back to the cab driver and pulled a crisp note from the band on the inside. He had learnt to be prepared and keep American currency as well as Canadian tucked away inside his Stetson. He paid the cap driver and waved jovially as he pulled away from the curb and drove off. He turned back to face the grand oak front doors of the Consulate. He jogged up the short stack of steps and pressed a finger against the doorbell. The door was answered moments later by none other than Constable Turnbull. His face broke into a large and genuine smile when he saw Benton.

"Constable Fraser." He said joyfully. "It's good to see you again, sir."

Benton reached out and shook Turnbulls' extended hand. "You too, Turnbull. How are you? I hope you have fully recovered." He asked refering to an incident several yeas earlier when Turnbull had decided to run for office but had been knocked down by his own campain bus.

"Oh, fit as a fiddle." Turnbull replied. "After I left the hospital I decided to return to the job I was best at, sir." He moved to one side and allowed Fraser to step past him into the enterance hall.

"Indeed." Fraser stated, unsure if this was indeed the job that Turnbull was 'best' at. "Has much changed since I left?" He asked.

"Well, we have a new leading officer who took over after Inspector Thatcher left, who, coinsidently, just recieved her third commendation from the Commander for her peace keeping efforts in the middle east." Turnbull finished with a proud tone.

"Yes, I remember reading about it." Fraser replied.

"Other than that, things have stayed the same. How about you, Constable Fraser?"

"My posting in Tuhtoyuktuk was very sucsesful, and I must say it was wonderful to be back home again, let alone in one of the villiges I grew up in."

"Well, it's wonderful to see you again, sir. I take it you have heard about Detective Kowalski's disaperance?" Turnbull asked him.

"Yes. I only discovered it this morning when I visited the station."

"Are you planning to help with the investigation?"

"Oh, yes. That's actually why I'm here. I was hoping I might be able to apply to transfer here again."

"Well, you're in luck, sir. Our assistant Leaison officer is off on maternity leave at the end of this week and we have as of yet been unable to fill the position, so there is a posting available. Would you like to speak to Inspector Williams?" Turnbull asked him.

"If he is available, yes." Turnbull stood and knocked on the Inspectors door. When he was commanded to he entered and closed the door behind him. Benton looked around. The consulate had stayed the same with the exception of the redecoration of the liberary. On the far wall hung a line of photographs. He moved closer to observe them fully. Each frame held a picture of a RCMP officer standing in full dress uniform and under each picture was positioned a gold plaqe. Engraved on each was the name of the officer and their date of birth and date of death. Benton asumed this to be a momorial to a few of the officers killed in the line of duty.

He proceded down the line of images reading each individual plaqe as he went. As he reached the last one, he froze. He reread the name on the plaqe 'Robert Fraser'. He raised his gave to the photo and saw his father standing tall and proud in his uniform. He smiled to himself. Whenever he saw anpicture of his father in his uniform, he couldn't help but be reminded of the time when he was a boy when he had first decided he wanted to join the RCMP. To be just like his father. He missed having his father around. He saw him more after he dead than while he was alive. Ghost, spirit, whatever he had been, he had still been his father and he got used to having him around. When he vanished over two years ago, Benton missed having him to talk to, to ask his opinion. He even missed him sicking his oar in when it wasn't wanted.

"Constable Fraser?" Benton turned to face Turnbull. "The Inspector will see you."

He looked back at the image of his father for a last brief moment befor turning and leaving the libarary. He followed Turnbull into the Inspectors office. Turnbull anounced him before leaving to return to his duties.

"Constable Fraser. You're quite a legend amoung the RCMP." Inspector Williams said as he rose from his chair. He moved around the desk and reached a hand out towards Fraser. Fraser grasped it in his own and shook it.

"I am?" He quiered.

"Indeed." Williams sat back down behind his desk and pulled a large file towards him. He opened it and pulled out a thick wedge of paper. "You have an outstanding file. You solved over one hundred and eighty cases for the Chicago Police Department in the fours years you worked here. Not to mention the adventure at sea on H.M.S Bounty and solving the Muldoon case."

"I was just doing my job, Inspector." Benton admitted.

"As I understand it, Constable, the majority of your invlovment in the solving of these cases were done in your own free time after your shifts at the Consulate. That's more than just doing your job, Constable." Inspector Williams sat back and watched him for a moment. "You're a commited officer, Benton. You're an asset to the force."

"Thank you, kindly, Inspector." Fraser felt a small amount of pride in this statement. He did afterall commit himself to preventing and solving crimes.

"Take a seat Constable." Williams gestured to the chair infront of his desk and Benton took it. "I understand you want to transfer here indefinatly."

Benton settled himself in the chair and laid his Stetson on his lap. "Yes, sir. A good friend of mine has disapeared. His name is Stanley Raymond Kowalski. He is the police officer I worked with for two years while I was here."

"How long had he been missing?" Asked Williams.

"Four days. He was abducted last Thursday."

"Abducted?"

"Yes, sir. The detective incharge of the case has discovered video footege which shows Detective Kowalski being druged and then forced into a car."

"Do the police have any leads as of yet."

"Yes." Fraser replied. "Detective Kowalski believes a man named Ossca Strenfield is behind in incident."

"I thought Detective Kowalski was the one was missing?" The inspector cut in.

"That's correct, sir. The detective in charge of the case is Stanley Kowalski's sister, Evelyn Kowalski." Benton explained.

"A family member in charge of a case?" Williams quired.

"Yes, sir. She's an officer from the New York Police Department. Apparently she's the best on their missing persons team."

Williams sat quietly for a moment, reading over parts of Benton's file. "So you want to transfer back here and take to position of Leaison offer once more so you can assist with the investigation?" He said finally.

"I shall assist with the investigation anyway, sir. Detective Kowalski is a dear friend who had saved my life on a number of occasions. Now is my chance to return the favour."

Williams studied him fo a moment. "You understand that during work hours you will have other duities to attend to as well this case."

"Yes, sir. I would be happy to be permenatly on guard duty." Fraser stated.

"I'll see what I can do Benton." Williams said, closing the file and standing. Fraser stood too and once again shook the Inspectors outstreatched hand. "If you leave your details with Turnbull, I'll contact you about the position."

"Thank you, kindly, Inspector." Fraser walked to the door and pulled it open.

"Benton?" Williams called. "You're a good man. Your friend's lucky to have you on the case." Fraser gave him a brief nod of his head as a farewell then slipped out the door and closed it behind him.

Turnbull sat at his desk in the hallway piecing together various parts of a torn up sheet of paper.

"Turnbull, if the inspector needs to contact me, please inform him that he can reach me at the police station on Detective Kowalski's line. I have some other duties to see to" Fraser informed him.

"Of course, sir." Turnbull said, making a quick note on a spare peice of paper.

"Thank you, kindly, Turnbull." He turned and moved to the oak doors and let himself out onto the street.


End file.
